Can't download emails to thunderbird

[#1]

@Purvez 

If I recall correctly I had this message when I sent an email to multiple recipients, Gemini comes up with this.

This error message, "<91.204.208.8> Too many distinct from addresses," indicates that the receiving mail server (at IP address 91.204.208.8) has detected that your email contains too many different "From" addresses within a relatively short period or within a single email batch.

Here's a breakdown of what this means and how to troubleshoot it:

Possible Causes:

• Mass Mailing/Spam Prevention: This is a common security measure implemented by mail servers to prevent spammers from sending large volumes of emails using numerous forged or different sender addresses.
• Mailing Lists/Group Emails: If you're sending an email to a large mailing list where the sender address is dynamically being changed or if the email is being forwarded through multiple systems that alter the "From" address, this could trigger the error.
• Automated Systems/Scripts: If you're using an automated script or system to send emails, ensure it's not inadvertently using a large number of different "From" addresses.
• Compromised Account: Although less likely to directly cause this specific error, a compromised account could be used to send spam with varying "From" addresses.
• Misconfigured Email Client/Server: In rare cases, a misconfiguration in your email client or outgoing mail server might be causing the "From" address to change unexpectedly.

Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Identify the Sending Method:

   • Are you using a desktop email client (e.g., Outlook, Thunderbird)?
   • Are you using webmail (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo Mail)?
   • Are you sending through a third-party service or script?

2. Examine the Email(s) You Were Trying to Send:

   • How many recipients were there?
   • Did the "From" address change for each recipient or within the email batch?
   • Are you using any features that might dynamically alter the "From" address (e.g., "Send As" aliases used excessively)?

3. Check Your Email Client/Webmail Settings:

   • Verify the "From" address you are using is consistent.
   • If you have multiple "Send As" aliases configured, ensure you are not inadvertently using too many of them in a short period.

4. Investigate Any Automated Systems or Scripts:

   • Review the code or configuration of any scripts or applications sending emails.
   • Ensure they are using a consistent "From" address or are configured to respect the receiving server's limits.

5. Contact Your Email Service Provider (ESP) or Mail Server Administrator:

   • Explain the error message and the context in which it occurred.
   • They might be able to provide more specific information about their sending limits and help identify the cause.
   • If you are running your own mail server, check its logs for more detailed information.

6. Reduce the Number of Distinct "From" Addresses:

   • If you are sending to a large list, try to standardize the "From" address used.
   • Avoid dynamically changing the "From" address for each recipient.

7. Consider Sending in Smaller Batches:

   • If you need to send a large volume of emails, try breaking it down into smaller batches with a consistent "From" address for each batch.

In summary, the "Too many distinct from addresses" error is a security measure to prevent spam. You need to investigate why your email sending process is using multiple different sender addresses and take steps to consolidate them or reduce their frequency to comply with the receiving server's policies.

[#2]

@Dan_the_Van / @Purvez 

This looks odd.  The only way I can envisage that this scenario might occur is if there are a multitude of alias email addresses being used to send from on one account.  Please keep the thread updated with any developments / clarification for your end.  In the meantime, I'm going to escalate this thread...

[#3]

Ok I've managed to resolve my 'sending' issue by changing the SMTP server from

relay.free-online.co.uk to relay.plus.net

The authentication settings I had changed I kept.

[#4]

@Purvez 

I have just ran a test on the free-online SMTP server and it is executing without issue.

[#5]

@Townman  Thanks very much.  I haven't tried re-instating the free-online SMTP server as relay.plus.net seems to be working and I have some 'other' stuff that is taking up my time.

Would you like me to try reverting back to free-online?  I can do that sometime tomorrow.

[#6]

I recommend that you do so.  Using cross brand services could get a bit messy!

[#7]

@Purvez 

Can you please affirm also that the too many "from" addresses has disappeared too please?

[#8]

@Purvez 

Would you like me to try reverting back to free-online?  I can do that sometime tomorrow.

As @Townman says, if you would please. My suggestion to use relay.plus.net yesterday was only meant as a temporary workaround to get some ability to send emails whilst the problems with free-online were being fixed.

[#9]

Sorry people one of my 'ex clients' system decided to have a hiccup!!  Got caught up with that.

Ok so currently what's working is :

Server Name : relay.plus.net

Port 25 [Default : 587]

Connection Security : None

Authentication Method : No authentication

User Name : <greyed out. : xxxx

So all I'm changing for this test is the Server Name to  : relay.free-online.net

I'll post the results of my test next.

[#10]

You should do this properly...

• Port 587
• Authenticated (either explicit details or as incoming)
• Encryption STARTTLS

[#11]

Following on from my post above :

Yes changing the Server to : relay.free-online.net and leaving everything else the same DID work.

I'll monitor this for a few days and comment here if anything changes.

Thanks again for EVERYONES help.  Most appreciated.

[#12]

@Townman 

Thanks for your comment.  So I have the following options :

For Connection security : NONE - STARTTLS - SSL/TLS (So I'm guessing I use STARTTLS here?)#

For Authentication method : No authentication - Password transmitted insecurely - Encrypted Password - Kerberos GSSAPI -  NTLM.

Please advise which to use and I'll do the tests with those. 

Thanks

[#13]

For the outgoing server...

Encryption (connection security) - STARTTLS

Authentication method: Password transmitted 'insecurely'

The 'insecurely' scare word is somewhat disingenuous when the link is encrypted!!

[#14]

@Townman Very sorry to have disappeared without warning but had some urgent personal stuff which needed to be prioritised. 

Yes your suggested settings are working fine:

Server : relay.free-online.net

Port : 587

Connx Security : STARTTLS

Authentication method : Normal Password

Thanks very much for all your help.

[#15]

An addendum - recent work on diagnostic tools has clarified that free-online should not use the email address as the user ID but rather accountname or accountname+mailbox